Gabbard revokes security clearances of 37 former intelligence officials

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revoked the security clearances of 37 former intelligence officials, the Trump administration’s latest move against Obama-era officials whom the White House accuses of undermining the Trump administration.

In a memo she posted Tuesday on social media, Gabbard directed the heads of several national security agencies to immediately revoke the clearances of the officials, at the direction of the president, alleging they politicized or weaponized intelligence for personal or partisan gain.

“All personnel are reminded that holding a clearance is a privilege, not a right, and this privilege is contingent upon continued adherence to the principles and responsibilities of our profession,” Gabbard wrote in the memo. “Any betrayal of these standards compromises not only our mission, but also the safety and security of the American people.”

Several of the officials targeted worked in senior roles for the State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Defense Department and the National Security Council. That includes several intelligence officials who advised then-Vice President Joe Biden and some officials who worked on a review of possible Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

That review, which concluded that the Kremlin sought to influence the election in Trump’s favor, has been the target of criticism from the Trump administration, with Gabbard referring several officials who worked on the investigation to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution last month.

A spokesperson for former President Barack Obama responded to the attacks last month, calling Gabbard’s allegations “ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction."

The intelligence community’s assessment at the time was backed by a three-year investigation undertaken by the Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee.

The bipartisan committee raised national security concerns about the Trump campaign team’s contacts with Russian officials but did not conclude that the president’s allies knowingly colluded with the Kremlin. Its report was endorsed at the time by then-Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who previously led the Senate Intelligence panel and now serves as Trump’s secretary of State.